How did you get into this hobby?

[Chico Rico]

I've always been curious as to how people got turned on to certain hobbies.
How did you get into metal detecting?

I'll start of by telling you my path...When I was a wee chap my pops got my older brother a Garrett's machine. I would follow my bro around and watch him dig things up, but nothing found was memorable. Then when I was around twelve my grandpops would tale me diggin in his back yard. We would pop out old Chinese cash coins, mercs, and Indian heads. It was a cool time. Then some years later I found myself and the wife living in Vero Beach, FL. We hit the McLarty treasure museum. If that place doesn't give you the bug, nothing will.

The wife and I got a hundred dollar bounty hunter and hit the beach. The machine did not like sand at all. So we got our money back from Wal-Mart and left it at that. I lived in Ft.Lauderdale, FL for four years and did not even think of buying a machine. I done a few dumb things in my life and that was one.

Then we move to VA and after three months here of taking in all the history I stumbled upon this WONDERIFIC website. I would read posts for days on end. So I got an ACE 250. The wife would go to the park with me and sit and shake her head. She could not figure out why I was so intrigued with pulling coins out of the ground. Then I took a weeks vacation and took the ole ACE into the rivers of VA. Lets just say soon after her seeing my finds she was tagging along with me on my hunts begging me to let her use the machine for "just 5 minutes!" I let her use it and never got it back. So I purchased a second ACE.

Now I have a wife hooked on the hobby as well as myself. I enjoy it but do not take it too seriously. I keep it leisurly. We've helped people recover lost jewelry items just to do it. In no way do we compete, we are happy when the other makes a good find and often times it gets sold to help pay the bills.
I keep my trunk of my car stocked with everything I need to hunt from batteries and a camel back of water to machines and shovels, much like I did in Florida with beach lounging necessities. We hunt where ever we can based on how we feel in a given day. The wife is a bit sloppy in her patterns or randomness of hunting but she has found many items that have paid the bills so I shut up.

That's my story in a nutshell. What's yours?

 

[bazinga]

I overheard some girls talking one day.

They kept saying that guys with metal detectors really turned them on.

I guess they were an anomaly, as I've never met a girl since then that felt the same way.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

When I was a kid my neighbor had one. Then I started saving my Kellyco calalogs. I would even fill out the order form as if I would suddenly had the money when I was done.

Many years past and then just last November my wife asked me what I wanted for christmas (the guy with every gadget made) and without thinking I said, I want a Metal Detector!

I got one for me and one for her. But now after a few hunts she got frustrated in not beign able to find the coin after digging, so now she wont come with me unless she gets to use the Garrett Propointer.

A fair request.

We now have a Minelab Safari and a Titan 2000xd. Next is going to be the Excal II and another Propointer I believe.

 

[Cool Hand Fluke]

Back in 1977 I purchased a Relco Pacesetter metal detector for about $300.00. I was stationed in Erlangen Germany at the time. The barracks we lived in were built by the German army before WWI, probably in the 1890's. There were miles of barracks with lots of green grass to hunt. That Relco detector was a piece of junk, never found anything except iron. I kick myself wondering at all the German silver marks I left in the ground. In 1985 I rented a Whites Coinmaster and watched my wife detect a 1889-S Morgan silver dollar with that machine. The rest is history!

 

[painless]

Moved to St. Thomas in 1985. Couldn't stand having all those white sand beaches taunting me everyday.

Garrett Freedom Ace comes in the mail. A year later I cashed in my clad for a Garrett AT4. (still have it, still use it). ($475.00)

Have been through a GTA 1000, and now, when I am not driving the AT4 (It's great in the rain, being waterproof to 10 ft) I use a Teknetics Delta.

 

[bigtim1973]

When I was a kid back iin the early 80's my older brother had one and I would dig up what he came across. We searched our own yard for the most part and we found lost hot wheels, cap guns and other odd and end stuff. We ventured out into the pasture one time where and old chuch used to stnad and we came across a concho off of an old Spanish saddle(this was back in Texas near the old Spanish trail) well it dated to the 1700's. That was the neatest thing we dug up with that machine and I never forgot how neat that seemed as a kid to come across something like that. Later on in life I became somewhat of a coin collector and moved to middle Tennessee. Well I was wondering what I could get into for a hobby and I remembered metal detecting with my brother so I got one and have been at it off and on for years now, Tim

 

[mlayers]

I got intested in this hobbie back in the last 70's. I got a bounty hunter 840 and I started finding coins and I mean a lot of coins silver and silver. When silver went sky high in the 80's because of the Hunt brothers I sold my silver and made over $3000. That was wonderful. I then got another bounty Hunter a Outlaw and used that for a few years. I bought a White's Surfmaster and started water hunting I enjoy that a lot in the summer months. I take my kids to the beach and I detect. I now have 4 detectors in the house and I just broke down and order the Excalibur 1000. So now I will have to spent more time at the beach to help pay for this one. I keep asking myself what is next....Matt

 

[Rusted Nail]

I started after my oldest brother passed away the 1st of this year and was given his old Garretts and a couple of his duggen things, which I will never part with any of them, Picked up a second detector and I have had it out every chance I get, take it every where I go.

 

[girardpaguy]

I read about it on line and wanted to it. Now i'm hooked.
I look at more as a sport then a hobby.

HH Everyone.

 

[Chico Rico]

Maybe it could be included in the Summer Olympics...That'd be crazy.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I got started by buying a metal detector. Hard otherwise.

 

[Phil_R]

Early 60's, treasure hunting with my father, uncles, and cousins. Surplus mine detector, shovels, beach-buggies, Sebastian Inlet (FL) south to Fort Pierce Inlet. Life revolved around Sebastian Inlet and Indian River until late 70's... moved to North Florida.

Youngest son (and grandson) are on their way over this morning... son and I are going treasure hunting. MD and gear was loaded in my VW yesterday, in anticipation of today's adventure.

 

[maverick4440]

I wanted a metal detector something terrible as a kid in the late 60's and early 70's.
I was adopted by my grandparents on my mothers side (Long story) My Grandpa seemed semi interested in detecting himself because he collected old money, both paper money and coins. He wasn't interested enough to spring for a detector though.
I was out in the woods one day treasure hunting without a detector as I did back then and I found an old junk car, about a 1947-49 Chevrolet or something in that general area and there was a rusty old tool box in the trunk. I was digging around and found a 32 automatic pistol in that tool box, It was called an "Alkar" if I remember right. I showed it to Grampa and he seemed mildly concerned but he didn't take it from me. Grandma seemed somewhat more concerned and about two weeks later we went to an RV supply that sold motorhomes and RV equipment and they also had metal detectors.
We looked at some metal detectors and my Grandpa said we couldn't really afford one and I got very discouraged. Then he said "BUT". "Your Grandma doesn't like it that you have that pistol and she said if you were to give it to me that she would be OK with buying you a detector".
He was very diplomatic about it. Having all those brand new detectors right in front of me and all I had to do was give up a rusty old pistol to take one home was enough to convince me to give up the offending weapon.
I've been detecting off and on ever since, almost 40 years now, WOW! I can't believe it's been that long!

 

[Sim_Player]

Back in 92' I was stationed at Mt. Home, Idaho, with a young wife and baby.

A friend, off-base, offered to sell me his Tesoro Cutlass2 for $75.00 so that he could upgrade and I accepted.

I learned a hard lesson about using too much Disc, one day, when he pulled a Barber di
e out of the ground where I had just detected.

I found a fair amount of silver, Indian Heads, and a whole sandwich bag full of wheats, not to mention all of the cool relics like a Mt. Home Dog Tax Tag from 1912.

I shelved the detector for about 15 years but now I'm back in the game with an F2.

Hard to find Silver where I live in Washington State. Someone beat me to most of it, I think.

Jim on Camano

 

[Chicken4U2]

There was a cheap Radio Shack detector in a box of stuff my parents bought at an auction when I was a kid. Since I've always loved digging for old stuff, and have always been called "Junkie" by one of my cousins because of my love for old stuff, I naturally grabbed it and hit the driveway. I had lots of fun with it, but as I got older and took on antique engines, karate, rc planes, hunting, cars, girls, etc, I kinda forgot about the poor little MD. Years later, and after getting married, I decided it was time for a good detector. I found several MD sites online, did tons of reading, and finally ordered one. Now I want this detector, and maybe that one cuz it's better for beach, and maybe that one for back up, and this one for.....well, you know how it goes with hobbies.

 

[RHoward]

When consumer metal detectors first came out I had to have one. I had always been interested in lost treasure.

The first detector I got was in 1962. It was red in color (brand unknown), had a search coil surrounded by wood, constantly drifted, would false if the grass was wet, and had a depth of 2 inches.

Bought one of Garrett's little grey BFO when they first came out; no discrimination. I dug all targets. Being the first and only one out there everything was still in the ground. The fairgrounds had a coin every 6 inches, it was great. People thought I was looking for earthworms never corrected them, it was funny. Since then I have owned 6 different Garretts. Never spent or sold anything I have found. I have 2 treasure chests full of coins and jewelery, each are about 80 pounds. My best find is a 1922D Lincoln penny without the D in ex-fine shape.

It is about time I buy another detector; either another Garrett or a Minelab not sure which.

 

[mts]

My daughter got one of those "kid" National Geographic metal detectors for a Xmas present from one of her aunts. We took it outside during the spring and detected around the house. The detector was a piece of junk and she lost interest very quickly. But I was hooked! I went out and bought myself a detector for father's day. I've been hooked ever since. I still can't get the kids to go with me... just not enough action. But I've got them hooked on collecting silver so they have the treasure bug. Maybe some day they will see the light and pick up this hobby as well. I've got enough detectors now just in case they ever come around.

 

[Wormdrive66]

Grew up panning and dredging in Northern Calif so the bug was planted years ago. I also used to follow the old guys at the park when i was a kid to see what they would find, but never bought a detector until last week. looking at craigslist and spotted one for a good price and here i am. Still trying to get the hang of it but having a blast learning.

 

[Montauk3]

I was looking for a place to bury my ex.

 

[wescowood]

My uncle came down to visit from tenn. about 8 yrs ago and he had a whites metal detector. We went out a few times but didn"t find much. Even so, Ive been hooked ever since. I get more of a bang out of it now than when I first started detecting.
HH, Wes.